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Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations
Published on: December 7, 2021
Distribution and molecular evolution of bacillus anthracis genotypes in Namibia
Wolfgang Beyer1, Steve Bellan, Gisela Eberle
1University of Hohenheim, Institute of Environmental and Animal Hygiene, Stuttgart, Germany. wolfgang.beyer@uni-hohenheim.de
Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases
|March 14, 2012
Summary
Genetic markers help track Bacillus anthracis spread in Namibia. Three dominant genotypes were identified in Etosha National Park, showing interconnected transmission cycles across animal species.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Microbiology
- Epidemiology
- Genetics
Background:
- Annual anthrax outbreaks occur in Namibia's Etosha National Park (ENP) and surrounding farms.
- Genetic markers for Bacillus anthracis enable monitoring of pathogen spread during outbreaks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To correlate epidemiological patterns of anthrax outbreaks within and outside the ENP.
- To analyze genetic relationships among Bacillus anthracis isolates from domestic and wild animals.
Main Methods:
- Genotyping of 384 B. anthracis isolates (1983-2010) from 20 animal species and the environment.
- Utilized 31-marker multi-locus-VNTR-analysis (MLVA), single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), and single nucleotide repeat (SNR) markers.
Main Results:
- Identified 37 MLVA genotypes (GTs) within four SNP-groups, all belonging to the A-branch.
- Three dominant, genetically close GTs accounted for most ENP isolates throughout the study period.
- Greater genetic distances were observed between isolates from different host species, but transmission cycles remained interrelated.
Conclusions:
- MLVA is effective for tracking Bacillus anthracis evolution and spread in endemic regions like the ENP.
- Interconnected transmission cycles exist across diverse host species, despite some species-specific ecological factors.
- SNR analysis aided source correlation but not epidemiological relationship elucidation.
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